Genre: Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
Actor: Ji Guanlin, Jie Zhang, King Shih-Chieh, Pan Shulan, Su Shangqing, Timmy Xu, Xue Lifang
Director: Liang Xuan, Zhang Chun
1. Big Fish & Begonia, 2016
Widely considered as the dawn of Chinese animation, Big Fish & Begonia frankly isn’t as outstanding as Japan’s Spirited Away, but it does share some of its charms. The awe-inspiring natural spirit world looks something akin to the worlds of Studio Ghibli, as well as the cute creatures, this time in dolphin-fish form. Even those unfamiliar with Chinese mythology can recognize the folklorish elements in the story, particularly the magic that feels reminiscent of Little Mermaid, and as each of the teen protagonists makes a sacrifice, it still tugs at the heartstrings. It’s not perfect, and the third act does get a tad convoluted, but Big Fish & Begonia still works emotionally as an homage to Chinese folklore.